Throughout our journey, we faced countless instances of despair and felt that our project was impossible to complete. However, we have to remember that there are always people available to assist us and that we are not alone. The professors, lab seniors, and even our own batchmates gave many ideas and suggestions that aided us in overcoming our obstacles.
Key Takeaway: Think like an entrepreneur
Through this project, we learnt that we are not just innovating a product; we are also entrepreneurs. In promoting a product, it is of vital importance to ensure the convenience of the users. A gentle learning curve is always welcome, especially when the product is supposed to provide a simple solution to a complex problem.
Key Takeaway: Keep options open
In Phase 2 (Hardware & Software) of the Development, although there may be a glaring present solution which just required modifications (the Marlin firmware), it would have been an extremely tedious and arduous process. Though we were put off by the idea of it initially, programming from scratch through the utility of test codes turned out to be the more efficient and effective solution.
Key Takeaway: Be sure to use proper equipment
When we were initially still on the design that required syringes, we had to measure the length of it so as to customise the 3D prints. As we did not have any measuring device, we tried to use a measuring application on an iPhone – which was not accurate at all. As a result, we had many 3D printings of the wrong size and dimensions. We could have saved more plastic used for 3D printing. This is how NOT to do it:
Key Takeaway: Do more research!
In Phase 1 (Design), we stumbled a lot as we were confused about which specific hardware we should use. When we only considered the linear actuator initially, we had to think about the force required to push the syringes, how to convert the distance pushed by the actuator into the volume of paint dispensed, and many other considerations. However, we initially did not know that there exist peristaltic pumps that would not require us to consider all the abovementioned factors. If we had researched more on what kind of motors and pumps existed, we could have avoided the many rounds of designing.